JOINT PRESS RELEASE
DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office
On May 14, 2015 the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and Genoa Police responded to 31223 Madison Street, Genoa, Illinois for a domestic incident which led to the death of Jene Burno, inside the residence. That 911 call to the Sheriff’s Office was made by Kendra Burno, the wife of Jene Responding officers located Jene Burno in a small bedroom of the residence that had been converted into a “craft room.” Jene Burno had sustained a fatal stab wound to the chest.
Immediately after the stabbing, Kendra Burno had called 911 and immediately advised the dispatcher that she had stabbed her husband. Sheriff’s deputies were directed to a neighbor’s residence where she spoke with responding deputies. Ms. Burno was transported to the Sheriff’s Office where she provided a lengthy interview to detectives. She cooperated completely with the investigation and provided information regarding events outside and inside the residence, leading up to the stabbing. Since her account of those events was strongly indicative of self-defense, and preliminary review of the scene supported her account, she was released from custody that night, pending completion of the investigation
Ultimately, the information provided to the detectives by Ms. Burno was fully corroborated by the physical evidence at the scene established by Sheriff’s detectives who responded to the Burno residence and processed the scene, pursuant to a court ordered search warrant. The evidence was consistent with Mrs. Burno’s statements and in no way contradicted her account, which indicated that she was acting in self-defense at the time she armed herself, and when her husband suffered the fatal wound.
After review of all police reports and the video recorded interview of Kendra Burno, as well as meeting with the parents of Jene Burno, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and the DeKalb County State’s Attorney have determined that no criminal prosecution of Kendra Burno is warranted by the facts now known about the death of Jene Burno on May 14, 2015. Accordingly the investigation will be closed at this time, with no further actions contemplated or anticipated.
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